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Did you know that you can get a free hotel night each year just for having a credit card with a $99 annual fee? That's right, every year you renew your IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees) or IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees), you’ll get an IHG free night certificate.
This perk is a perfect example of how a single benefit can make it easy to justify holding a hotel credit card for the long term. Even if IHG isn't your go-to hotel chain for most stays, it shouldn't be hard to find one night each year where an IHG hotel fits in nicely with your plans.
IHG anniversary night certificates are valuable but come with a few restrictions. Let's go through everything you need to know to earn and redeem IHG free night certificates.
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How To Earn IHG Free Night Certificates
Three credit cards give cardholders IHG anniversary night certificates: the IHG One Rewards Premier Card, the IHG One Rewards Business Card, and the IHG® Rewards Select Credit Card.
All three cards offer an IHG free night certificate after each account anniversary, starting 12 months after you open your account. And you can earn a second IHG free night certificate any calendar year in which you make purchases totaling $60,000 on your IHG One Rewards Business Card.
Right now, the IHG One Rewards Premier Card is offering 5 Free Nights after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Here's our full IHG Premier credit card review to learn more.
- Our Best Offer of 2025! Earn 5 Free Nights
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier cardmember
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at Hotels & Resorts such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 26 points total per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 5X points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, gas stations, and restaurants
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 10X points for being a IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card member
- Earn 6X points from IHG® with Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn 10X points from IHG® for being an IHG® One Rewards member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
Or if you'd prefer a small business credit card, the IHG One Rewards Business Card is offering 140,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months from account opening. Here's our IHG Premier Business credit card review.
- Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy an Anniversary Free Night at IHG Hotels & Resorts. Plus, enjoy a fourth reward night free when you redeem points for a consecutive four-night IHG® hotel stay.
- Earn up to 26 total points per $1 spent when you stay at IHG Hotels and Resorts
- Earn 5 points per $1 spent on purchases on travel, at gas stations, select advertising, and restaurants. Earn 3 points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Automatic Platinum Elite status as long as you remain a Premier Business cardmember
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS Statement Credit of up to $120 every 4 years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card
- IHG One Rewards Bonus points are redeemable at hotels such as InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Kimpton®, EVEN® Hotels, Indigo® Hotels & Holiday Inn®
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- Earn 26x total points per $1 spent when you stay at an IHG hotel
- 5X points per $1 spent on travel, dining, social media search engine advertising, and at office supply stores and gas stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
The earning for spending at IHG hotels breaks down as follows:
- Earn 10X points for charging your stay to your IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card
- Earn 6X bonus points for having IHG®Platinum Elite Status, a benefit of having this card
- Earn 10X base points for being an IHG® One Rewards Member (Being a cardholder is not required to earn this bonus for participating in the IHG® loyalty program)
Related: Which IHG One Rewards Credit Card Is Right for You?
IHG Free Night Certificate Details
You can redeem IHG free night certificates from credit cards for a standard room award night costing up to 40,000 points. The free night certificate also covers taxes, but you'll need to pay for any other fees, including parking fees and resort fees.
As you can see in the above example, you can top-off free night certificates from the IHG One Rewards Premier Card and IHG One Rewards Business Card if you want to book a night above the 40,000-point redemption level. To do so, you can use points — or a mixture of points and cash — from your IHG One Rewards account.
However, it's important to keep in mind the period during which you can use IHG anniversary night certificates. Per the IHG One Rewards Premier Card‘s terms and conditions, the “Anniversary Free Night must be redeemed, and stay must be completed, within 12 months from date of issue.” Luckily, you can see the exact booking and stay windows for your IHG free night certificates on the free nights page of your IHG account.
Related: Hotel Credit Cards That Provide Free Annual Night Certificates
How To Use IHG Free Night Certificates
When you're ready to book your IHG anniversary night, log in to your IHG account. You can head to the free nights page and click the “Book Free Night” button on your free night's tile.
Doing so will take you to the reservation page, where your free night will be pre-selected on the “Rate Preference” drop-down. Alternatively, you can also head directly to the reservation page and select your free night on the “Rate Preference” drop-down menu.
Either way, enter your destination, dates, and number of guests. You'll need to search for just one room and one night unless you happen to have multiple of the same type of IHG free night certificate. Click “Search” to check for availability.
Understanding the search results
You'll usually see one of four things for each IHG property on the search results. If you see “FREE per night,” that means you can book the night you searched at that property using your IHG free night certificate.
If you see a plus points per night price, that means you can book the night using your IHG free night certificate plus points from your account (or a mixture of points and cash).
If you opt to redeem your certificate for this night, you'll need to decide whether to top off your certificate only with points or use a mixture of points and cash.
If there's no availability to book a room with your free night certificate on the date you selected, you can click the “View available dates” link at the top right.
Doing so will open IHG's calendar search and show you which dates are available. Unfortunately, the calendar won't show which nights are available without needing to top off your certificate.
Finally, if the property shows a cash price but doesn't give the option to see an available dates calendar, it's likely because the property is charging more than 40,000 points for that night and you're using a certificate that can't be topped off with points. In this case, you'll need to find another night (or property) on which to use your certificate.
Related: Do IHG Points Expire?
Best IHG Free Night Redemptions
Need some inspiration for where to go? We have an entire article dedicated to the best IHG redemptions for luxury stays. However, I also want to share some of my favorite IHG properties that currently cost 40,000 points or less on select dates and hence are great options for using an anniversary night without needing to top it off.
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
The InterContinental Fiji is an excellent place to use one or more IHG free night certificates.
I spent a weekend at this property in June 2019, and it was just as lovely as you might expect from an InterContinental Resort in Fiji. By signing up for InterContinental Ambassador before my stay, I secured a guaranteed one-category upgrade from the pool view room I booked to a lagoon view room. But, thanks to my IHG One Rewards elite status, I was upgraded to a beachfront view on arrival.
Using an IHG anniversary night, you can only book into a garden view room. However, the Platinum Elite status that comes with the IHG One Rewards Premier Card and IHG One Rewards Business Card should help you score a room upgrade. But if not, the “base” room is still spectacular.
Related: How To Get Hotel Elite Status for Free (or Almost Free)
InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort
Another excellent option for using your IHG free night certificate at an InterContinental resort can be found on the island of Phu Quoc in Vietnam. It's a long journey for U.S.-based travelers, but it's a great option for those traveling through Southeast Asia.
I visited this spectacular property in February 2019 and loved my stay. From a wide range of resort activities to a unique overwater spa, there was plenty to do without having to leave the property.
Related: Current IHG Promotions
Kimpton De Witt
One of my favorite places to use IHG free night certificates is the Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam. I first used three certificates for a stay in April 2022 and then returned for three more nights on certificates in March 2023. You can often find nights with a redemption value hovering around 40,000 points at the Kimpton De Witt:
The rooms at the Kimpton De Witt are comfortable and offer cute decorations. The nightly social hour offers wine and small appetizers, and the hotel is centrally located so you can enjoy everything Amsterdam has to offer.
Related: The Cheapest Ways To Fly to Europe With Award Miles
Kimpton Hotels in New York City
If you're looking to keep your travels domestic, how about visiting New York City? Currently, some nights at the sleek Kimpton Hotel Theta and Kimpton Hotel Eventi are available using an IHG anniversary night without needing to top off (although beware of the amenity fee):
If you've never stayed at a Kimpton, you might be surprised that this brand shares the same corporate parent as Holiday Inn. This small, boutique brand focuses on design and service. These centrally-located hotels in the heart of New York City are a great base from which to explore the city.
Related: You Can Buy Elite-Qualifying IHG Points During Booking — Should You?
Escape to Zion National Park
I have focused on upscale brands so far, but sometimes value is more about getting a room where you want it. One of my favorite national parks within the U.S. is Zion National Park. The problem is that affordable lodging can be difficult to find here.
There's a well-rated Holiday Inn Express just outside of Zion National Park that you can often book with IHG free night certificates:
Track Your IHG Anniversary Night With AwardWallet
An IHG anniversary night isn't something you want to forget about. Thankfully, AwardWallet has your back. Add your IHG One Rewards account to AwardWallet and you'll get helpful reminder emails when the expiration date of your IHG free night certificate nears.
You also can keep tabs on your IHG free night certificates in your AwardWallet Account List. As you can see, my wife and I need to utilize our certificates:
Final Thoughts
Many travelers can easily get more value from an IHG free night certificate than the annual fees on the IHG One Rewards Premier Card and IHG One Rewards Business Card. These cards also offer other valuable benefits, including Platinum Elite status and the valuable IHG fourth night free each time you redeem points for a stay of at least four nights.
To maximize your IHG anniversary night, make sure to search a range of dates at lucrative properties to find when you can use your free night certificate without needing to top it off. However, don't let the goal of maximizing this certificate keep you from using it where you can get some value. After all, using an IHG anniversary night for suboptimal value is far better than ending up with an expired free night certificate.
And don't forget to connect your IHG One Rewards account to AwardWallet. That way, you'll be sure to get reminders if you have an unused IHG free night certificate and its expiration date is coming up.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (Rates & Fees), and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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